Ichigo woke up in the middle of the night due to a strange feeling. It was 3 AM.
"*yawn* Huh?" He felt that something passed by the hallway, although the door was closed.
Before checking what that was he looked to his right. Nel was fast asleep hugging his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.
"I don't wanna wake her up..." He thought as he beheld her beautiful face, touched by a couple rays of moonlight.
That gave him an idea, he grabbed a pillow and carefully changed his arm for it.
Nelliel hugged the pillow with a strong grip. "Ichi..." She muttered in her sleep with a smile.
"Damn I love you" He whispered with a grin and gave her a kiss in the forehead.
After that, he exited the room and followed his instinct, which lead him downstairs.
Sitting on the couch was Isshin, clearly expecting him.
"Dad?"
"So you unlocked the Final Getsuga once again..." He said with a sad smile.
Ichigo realised his father's grim expression. "Well, yeah. It was the best way to get stronger in a short period of time"
"*sigh* Yesterday morning, I expected you to recover your powers, but to be honest, I never thought you'd go through so much. I know very well that you went to the Dangai"
"Yes. Did Urahara tell you?"
"Yeah, though it was pretty obvious given your appearance. I also happened to help him look for Orihime-chan a while ago... I understand how you must feel"
"Tch..." Ichigo became angered just by remembering it.
"I won't tell you not to go, because I know that that would be denying who you are at your very core, and also because... I doubt there is anyone else with more chances to fight this new menace"
"To be honest... I'm afraid, dad. I'm afraid that I won't be strong enough. Afraid that I could lose my friends. And for the first time in my life, there is someone more important to me than anyone else..." He confessed.
"I imagine who that might be by now" He chuckled. "You've truly become a man, son" He proudly concluded.
"I-I mean... We're just, together I guess... It's not like, you know..." He had trouble finding the right words.
"You are taking things slowly" Isshin deduced he wished to say.
"Yeah..."
"But in the end, you know that she's the person you love the most. You would do anything for her. You don't care about barriers such as being Hollow or human, am I right?"
"Yeah, I guess not. But you understand that better than anyone else, don't you?"
"Of course. It was the same with your mother. Masaki and I didn't care about anything once we were in love..." He remembered the teenage look of his deceased wife.
"Would you mind telling me more about that? You know, how it was that everything happened, or what did you use to do as a Shinigami? I understand if you don't wish to tell me..."
"No. I owe you an explanation. Even if you didn't want it, I think it's necessary in this point"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, circumstances have changed, that's all. I'll explain that later, but first I have to start from the very beginning"
"Alright. Who are you?"
"As a Shinigami, my name is Shiba Isshin. Ex-Captain of the 10th Division"
"No way" He thought. "That explains your strength I guess..."
"Yeah. Despite that, I once had it pretty bad against a particularly powerful Hollow, here in Karakura. I was badly wounded and honestly, I thought that was the end of me... But then she came along"
"You mean, mom?"
"Yeah. Masaki was a young teenage girl when we met. She was the one to defeat the Hollow"
"What?! But how?"
"I was astonished as well... But you see, your mother wasn't a normal human. She was in fact, a Quincy"
"Like... Ishida?"
"Correct. She was the last of the Kurosaki family, so the Ishida family took her in, wanting to maintain the pure Quincy bloodline. She and Ryuuken used to live together for that reason, as well as to train her Quincy powers"
"So they were...?"
"They were meant to be engaged. But you know, things never go like you want them to be. In the end, everything just flows in an unknown direction, which in this case, led me to meet your mother"
"But then... Why was she powerless that day when...? *sigh*" He remembered the day of her death.
"That was because of what happened a while later. I don't know why, but your mother became Hollowfied shortly after we came across, though we didn't know what was truly happening until we went looking for help. Ryuuken didn't know what to do and I wanted to save her as well, but none of us had a solution. Like always, the only one who could help was-"
"Urahara" Ichigo predicted.
"Heh. He told us that he had been studying this phenomena and had a way to fix it if she was a Shinigami. However, that was not the case, so he had to try another method. For that, I had to sacrifice my powers and create some kind of link to your mother's soul. However, we managed to get the Hollow out. He was one persistent bastard, but I erased him with a Getsuga Tenshou and saved Masaki. She lost her powers afterwards for other reasons, but that's not important right now."
"What happened afterwards?"
"Lots of things. We kept seeing each other, though once I had lost all my powers I stayed on this world with the excuse that I had been banished from Soul Society and turned into a human as a punishment, but I think she always knew that was just a lie. I opened a small clinic in the meantime and the rest is history... I guess my powers simply recovered after all these years"
"I see... But. What was that thing that changed though? What made you want to explain all this to me?"
"Well... It turns out that we have a Quincy in the family"
"Huh? What do you mean? Karin developed Quincy powers?!" That was his first guess, since she could already see spirits.
"I'm afraid not. In addition to her black hair, she also inherited my Shinigami powers"
"But that means...!"
"Exactly. I'm not enturely sure, but I think Yuzu is starting to feel the presence and even slightly see Souls and Hollows"
"But... How do you know she's a Quincy?"
"She has no Reishi of her own"
Ichigo just stood speechless, astonished as he processed what his father was saying.
"I know it is surprising"
"But... It was only the day before yesterday that she couldn't see Nel! How can this...?"
"Like I told you, she's starting to slightly detect beings with Reiryoku. Though as part of the Kurosaki family, it wouldn't surprise me if she developed her powers quicker than normal Quincies"
"No... She was the only one with a normal life. Why does she have to suffer the same fate of mine? When I was a kid, I hated seeing spirits. It wasn't something pleasant, but I had to live with it. I was happy that my sisters didn't have to cope with that... But then Karin developed her powers and now Yuzu is gonna be the same" He said with a worried and sad tone.
"I know... But as her family, we have to try our best to help her lead the life she wants. I can't say that I'm happy thinking of her becoming a Quincy... But what if she wants that life? I wouldn't be able to deny her such thing"
"Tsk... I know" Ichigo exhaled a great amount of air, trying to cope with all the new information. "Thank you for being honest with me, dad"
"Like I said, it was the correct thing to do"
"Is there anything else you want or need to tell me?"
Isshin thought for a moment if there was something else bothering his mind. There was in fact a certain topic he wanted to discuss with him, but he preferred to leave it for another time, as his son had enough already.
"No. You can go to bed. She must be waiting for you" He concluded with a proud smile.
"R-Right... I-I'll go then" He blushed. "I guess... It doesn't bother you that she's a Hollow"
"The only thing I care about her is if she loves you. The fact that she's a total babe comes second!" He gave a thumbs up to his son.
"Shut up..." He said with a disgusted look. "Good night, dad"
"To you Ichigo. I'm quite tired myself *yawn* but there are things a father must do" He finished determined.
"Whatever you say"
Ichigo came back to his room and was glad to find that the Arrancar was still asleep. He went back to bed in his previous position and cuddled by her side. Sleep came a couple minutes later though, due to his mind racing with all the new findings, but the brain was beaten by exhaustion in the end.
The next morning, sun beams were falling in his face.
"Ungh... Guess it's morning already" He looked at his side. Nel was still sleeping. He was glad that Urahara had bought her a pair of pajamas to sleep instead of her ragged clothes. Now he wouldn't bleed when looking at her, though he still thought that he had the luck to have the most beautiful woman sleeping with him.
After admiring her figure, he took a shower and changed into a casual attire.
When he came back to his room, Nelliel was already awake and changed into her new Espada uniform.
"Good morning, Ichi" She greeted him with her cute melodic voice and quickly gave him a peck on the mouth.
"Good morning, Nel. How did you sleep?"
"Great of course. Sleeping here brought me back memories from the first time... It's so weird thinking that it was so long for us, but it was only half a day here"
"Yeah, it's crazy. Now we'll leave for a while again, though I don't think it will be nearly as long as training. I should probably pack a couple things though..." Ichigo said as he got a big backpack out from his closet.
"Nghh! Nrghh!" Something made awful sounds from it. The backpack seemed to be struggling.
"What the-?!" Ichigo opened it. "Kon?! What are you doing here?" He asked the Mod Soul as he got a piece of tape out of his mouth.
"Ahhh... It's been so long since I've taken a breath. Rukia-san is such a meanie sometimes, though ~I did like it at first~" He said with a perverted voice.
"Now that I think about it, it's been a while since I last saw you. How long have you been there?"
"How am I supposed to know? All I could see was pitch black!"
"What is that, Ichigo?" Nel asked curious as she examined the lion plush.
"Can't you tell? I'm the great Kon! A prodigy in the Shinigami arts and master Hollow hunter!" He replied making a cool pose with his eyes closed.
"He's a mod soul and a troublesome one at that. In short, he's a failed experiment" Ichigo explained.
"Hey! You are the failure, Ichigo! Also, whose voice is tha-" He looked at the Arrancar as she picked him up. "For the love of God... You are a queen! Nonono. An Angel! No, that's not even close... You are a Goddess!"
Nel giggled and blushed a little. "Oh, you say such beautiful things!" She gave him a smile that melted him.
"Hug! Hug! Hug!" Kon demanded as he drooled, looking at her huge chest.
"Enough" Ichigo grabbed the plush and tossed him aside. "You haven't been a minute out and you're already doing perverted things"
"But he didn't do anything" Nel pointed out.
"Believe me, he will"
"Such a party-crasher... No love for poor Kon" The fluff being kicked the air in disappointment.
"Oh shut up. I wouldn't care if it was someone else, but Nel is too innocent to see through your shady schemes"
"Nel... Such a simple yet beautiful name for such... Perfection! I love you Nel-chan!" Kon jumped at her face but was grabbed in mid air by the Shinigami.
"Also, to leave things clear... She's my girlfriend" He declared.
"What?! She? With you?! Tell me it's not true Nel-chan!"
"Um... I don't know what a girlfriend is to be honest..." She digressed.
"Haha! You pesky liar! Trying to get away with such blasphemy! Who's the shady one now, huh?!" Kon barked at him in victory.
"Grrr" Ichigo growled.
"Though I can tell you that I certainly love Ichigo" She added.
"Ah!" Kon was turned into stone. "L-Love? Are you sure, Nel-chan?!"
"Yeah. I love him more than anyone in the world!"
"Nel..." Ichigo snapped out of his rage.
"What makes you so surprised? You know it very well" She thought it was weird to get such a reaction after so long.
" I mean yeah, but... Hearing you say it is... Special" He replied blushing a bit.
"Oh, Ichi..." She felt so in love with him despite the simple explanation. She knew how tough he was normally, so hearing something like that was as cute as he could possibly get. In reward, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long kiss.
"No way...!" Kon couldn't believe it, but an instant later, something else caught his attention. "Huh? What's with that hat?" He asked about her skull.
"Oh, this? Hahahahahaha! No, it's not a hat... It's a part of my body!"
"What? Then that means... You're a Hollow?!" Kon became scared.
"An Arrancar to be exact. We are Hollows that broke our masks and aquired powers of Shinigami. Our appearance is also more human-like because of that" She playfully rested her head on Ichigo's shoulder as she explained.
"And why are you afraid? She hasn't done anything wrong has she?" Ichigo asked him a bit pissed.
"Not really, but it's quite shocking to hear at least. You can't really blame me"
"Yeah, maybe not. But I could go get some tape and put you back inside that backpack if you keep bothering us"
"NO! Please no! Just mind your business while I lay down inanimate like the cute little plush I am" He replied as he jumped on the bed to play the part.
"Good, stay like that for a while. Now, Nel, let's grab some breakfast and then we'll go see the rest"
"Okay. Bye Kon" She waved her hand at the plush.
"Bye... Nel-chan..." He muttered sadly. "Even if she's an Arrancar, she's a God-tier hottie... Why did you have to take her?! Curse you, Ichigo!" He spat once he was on his own.
His sisters were already having the first meal when Ichigo arrived.
Karin was very shocked by the sight of Nel, but didn't want to show it because of Yuzu. She had noticed that her sister was becoming aware of spirits, but she hadn't really seen anything yet, so she preferred not to react.
"Good morning, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu greeted.
"Ah, good morning" He replied.
"How cute. Your sisters are very pretty, Ichigo" Nel complimented now that she could observe them more carefully.
"Nn" He replied at a low volume.
"Um... I'm sorry Ichigo, but there isn't much to eat" Karin said in order to lure him and Nel out.
"Is that so? Too bad, guess we-"
She gave her a dread look.
"I'll have to go somewhere else. No problem, I'm not that hungry anyway" Ichigo replied, following her lead to not complicate the situation.
"But Karin, it was only yesterday that we bought food! How come there isn't anything left?"
"Well I... I had soccer practice yesterday, and I was starving after I got back so I ate about a whole meal" She told a convincing lie.
"Oh... Then I guess there's not much we can do" Yuzu said sadly.
"Don't worry, I can take care of that on my own. Where's dad?"
"He's still sleeping. I don't know why he was so tired..." Karin replied, not knowing about his night talk with Ichigo.
"R-Really? Well, it can't be helped. I'm going then, don't expect me until lunch"
"Okay"
Ichigo exited the house to immediately jump into his bedroom and grab Kon in a flash.
"W-Wha?! What's going on?!" Kon asked as Ichigo passed him to Nel.
"Shut up... I'll lend you my body while I'm in Hueco Mundo. Don't do anything weird to her or I'll turn you to shreds"
"Y-Yes" He said with a voice of fear. "What do you have to do there, though?"
"There is a new group of bad guys and they conquered the place. I won't go much into detail cause it's a long story, but they even took Inoue away"
"What?! Orihime-chan? My Orihime-chan?!"
Ichigo hit him in the head.
"Don't say she's of your possession!"
"B-But how? Why?"
"It seems that they wanted her powers..."
"Those bastards!"
"Anyway, that's why we're going to Urahara. I wanted to have breakfast at home, but Yuzu is starting to see spirits and I couldn't risk that she saw Nel so suddenly"
"Ah... That was why you acted that way. Is your other sister able to see Hollows and Shinigami?" She asked.
"Yeah. Karin, the one with black hair, has been able to do that for a while now. However, Yuzu was supposed to be a normal human, but it seems... It seems she's developing the powers of a Quincy"
"Quincy? But isn't your father a Shinigami?" She was confused.
"Well, I had a little talk with dad during the night. In short, he explained that my mom was a Quincy"
"I would've never imagined..." Kon said astonished.
"Yeah. I'm still having a bit of trouble processing it all, but that's the way the news goes"
"Ichigo... I won't ask you to tell me all about it cause I know it must be difficult. But, remember that I'm always here for you" She held his hand, understanding the grief it caused him.
"Thank you, Nel" He smiled. "Once I have assimilated everything, I'll go into detail. Right now we have to focus on the battles ahead"
"Of course"
They arrived a while after at the candy shop, where Kisuke was conveniently having breakfast with Rukia, Renji and the other four Arrancar, although Grimmjow and Harribel were just sitting by the table without eating anything.
"Is there any problem if we eat here?" Ichigo asked.
"No, of course not! Come take a seat, I'll serve you two a cup of tea" Urahara happily replied.
"You couldn't eat at home, Ichigo?" Rukia asked him with a confused look.
"No. There is a little situation at home, so I decided to come here"
"Oh. Well, I hope it's not too serious"
"It wouldn't be considered bad, but it is a complex matter"
"Whatever it is, forget about it now" Renji carelessly said.
"Renji!" Rukia scolded him.
"What? We're about to fight very powerful enemies. He can't risk to be defeated because he wasn't concentrated in the battle"
"But still..." She had a worried look.
"No, Renji is right. I'll think about it once we've returned" He smiled with gratitude at Rukia for her show of concern. Despite Renji's words, he was sure that he was worried as well, but wouldn't show it in such a moment.
Urahara came back with tea and a pair of pastries.
"Wow, how fancy!" Rukia was looking at the delicious tarts.
"These are Mont-Blanc and Strawberry shortcake. I wouldn't be able to pick a favourite so I always buy both"
"It looks delicious! Can I try it, Ichigo?" Nel asked with her puppy face.
"Of course. Eat as much as you like as long as you leave enough for the rest"
"Yeah!" She took a piece from each. "Delicious!"
As Nel enjoyed her time with the others, Grimmjow looked at the scene with intrigue. He wondered if Hollows could have happiness outside of their world of fights and death.
"Hey, Tier. Do you think Hueco Mundo could ever offer a lifestyle like that of the humans or the Shinigami?"
"Huh? That's really strange coming from you"
"Heh, you're right. But it's just, she seems so happy doing things that, honestly, no Hollow would be able to do normally"
"You're right about that. Nel-sama has discovered a whole new world thanks to Kurosaki Ichigo. I don't judge her at all for that. In fact, I think she's the living proof that there's more to us than we believe"
"Who knows? Even if that was possible, it would take ages to turn Hueco Mundo into a place like the Soul Society or this world. I have to admit that I like this peace, but in the end, I know that I was born to fight"
"That's correct. Most Hollows fight their whole lives just because that's the only way they know how to live. Even in the position I gained after Aizen's defeat, I doubt I would be able to make such a groundbreaking change. It's like, altering the very root of what Hollows are"
"Exactly. Although, who can say what we are in essence? No one really knows of our origins. Maybe that old geezer of Barragan knew something, but now he's dead"
"All we can do now is fight to get our home back. I would love to investigate our origins, but I wouldn't know where to start"
"Heh, that's like questioning what the very origin of our souls is. It's so great an enigma that it's ridiculous only thinking about it"
"I know. It must be something far greater than we can imagine..."
"But even so, we can try our best to make a difference. We are the Espada, aren't we? If someone can do something, it is us. At the very least, we have the strength to do it" Grimmjow punched his fist against his hand.
"I wonder if that would be the right way..." Harribel said, doubting that a change of that kind could be carried by force.
While they discussed that topic, Uryuu and Chad arrived as well.
"Good morning. Is everyone here already?" The Quincy asked.
"Hiyori-san and the others have yet to arrive, but aside from them, no one else is missing" Kisuke replied.
"Very well"
"Hey, want somethin' to eat?" Renji offered him a bowl of rice.
"No, I already ate, thanks"
"I... I'd gladly accept it" Chad said shyly.
"Have some then"
Everyone was spending a great time during that meal, in spite of the journey that was about to take place. This was better though, because they felt more confident and strengthened the trust with each other. That was also one of the points of the training in the Dangai, because they needed to get along with each other, which was a really hard task taking in count conflictive people like Hiyori or Grimmjow. In the end though, it was possible to say that everyone had a good relationship towards each other.
After breakfast, the Vizards conveniently arrived.
"Good morning" Hachigen politely saluted.
"How's everyone doing?" Love greeted.
"Nice to see you" Lisa did the same.
"Ready to try out your new strength?" Hiyori said, more eager than anyone else.
"Of course. I guess it's time to do this" Ichigo said as he grabbed the badge and let his soul out of his body. "Take good care of it, Kon" He told the stuffed animal, who had been hiding from Rukia intentionally since they arrived.
"Eh?! Y-Yeah, of course..."
"And no pursuing high-schoolers and stuff like that" Ichigo warned more specifically.
"I'll do my best, hehe" He scratched the back of his head.
Ichigo put his hand inside the mouth of the plush and took the green sphere out.
"See, Nel? This is what a Mod Soul looks like"
"Oh... I see" She was surprised that the candy shaped object was the true identity of Kon.
The Shinigami put the sphere inside the mouth of his body.
"Yay! I have a real body once again!" Kon rejoiced inside the flesh carcass.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't do silly things and try your best so that Yuzu doesn't suspect anything"
"Understood" He raised a thumbs up in sign of agreement. "See ya! I still love you, Rukia!!!" He left the shop running.
"Tch... That pervert" Rukia muttered.
"Anyway, I'm ready to go. You guys are as well?" Ichigo asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Very well. Let's go downstairs then. I asked Yoruichi to prepare everything for the Garganta, that's why you didn't see her" Urahara invited then to the Training Ground.
Once in the rocky landscape, everyone followed his orders to enter the Garganta."Is everything ready?" The shop owner asked the woman.
"Yep. I did everything just like you asked, Kisuke"
"Perfect. Thank you"
"You guys are gonna stay here in case something happens?" Ichigo asked.
"Of course. Don't worry, Tessai and the kids should arrive in the afternoon so we'll have backup. In the worst of cases, we can always ask your dad for help, and if that's not enough... Well, guess there won't be more choice than to ask the Gotei for a hand"
"But I don't think such a thing will be needed" Yoruichi pointed out.
"Neither do I, but it's better to be ready, just in case..." Urahara agreed. "Now, stand in line, right there" He pointed at a section of the ground.
Everyone moved towards the place and made a horizontal line.
"Perfect. Now, don't forget that once inside you must create a trail of Reishi, or you'll fall into eternal nothingness. I'm gonna ask our Arrancar fellows to help as much as they can in that matter" Urahara requested.
"Tch... No choice then" Grimmjow spat.
"No problem, if anybody needs help, I'll make sure to lend them a hand" Harribel remarked.
"We'll do our best" Nelliel spoke for her and her brothers.
"Then, off you go!" Urahara opened the Garganta. "Do your best and don't get killed!"
"I wish you all good luck, but more importantly, success. You know what you learned, now put it to practice" Yoruichi bid them farewell with those last words.
The black fissure swallowed the members of the team and left them inside the pitch black space.
"Let's go!" Ichigo said as he created a wide path of Reishi, much more stable and linear than he did previously.
All the other Arrancar ran by his side to make a greater trail for the others.
"Showoffs..." Hiyori pouted, thinking that she could do as well as them.
Ishida created his own Reishi platform to fly through the Garganta.
Chad, the Vizards and the pair of Shinigami followed the trail created by the leading group.
After a while, the other end of the dark void opened, letting them into what seemed as a large desert. They had arrived in Hueco Mundo.
They carefully descended into the sands and had a quick look at their surroundings.
"This place looks as desolate as ever" Renji said.
"But something is not right. It's not something you can see, but something you can feel" Rukia replied.
"That's right. Aside from the weaker Menos and Gillians living underground, I believe all Hollows escaped into the world of the living" Harribel explained. "Except the ones who..."
"...Died" Grimmjow completed bitterly. He knew how hard that idea resonated inside Tier's mind. She was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders since she became the ruler of Hueco Mundo. It had only been a couple weeks, but she already felt that the lives of all those Hollows were in her hands. "Gladly, none of your Fracción faced that fate. They must be hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to come back, by your side"
"I know... But I wish no one had perished that day"
"I guess the most casualties were Adjuchas" Uryuu guessed.
"Yes. But there were some weaker Arrancar who encountered their sudden end that day as well" Her green eyes had a saddened look.
"However. We can't center around the past" Ichigo said in reply. "We gotta focus on what's our main objective, and that's bringing this place back to what it was"
"Harribel, I know how hard it must be for you" Nelliel put her hand on her shoulder, and looked at her determined as ever. "But now's the time to be strong. Right here, right now, you must make the vow that you're gonna fight and win, for everyone that made a sacrifice that day"
"You're right, Nel-sama. You as well, Kurosaki... I'm sorry that I let this get to me" She apologized.
"Don't worry about it. It's understandable that remembering such things causes you a lot of grief" Hachigen comforted her.
"I'll give it my all. For everyone" She finally said with resolve.
"That's the Espada I know" Grimmjow told her in a volume only she would hear.
She felt a lot better hearing those words. Now she was ready to raise her blade and fight with only victory in mind.
"Now that we're here, how are we gonna do this?" Lisa asked.
"Ulquiorra said Inoue was in Las Noches. I guess the Dukes must be occupying the Espada's palaces" Ichigo deduced.
"Sounds like a possible theory, but there were 10 Espada and only 8 Dukes" Uryuu recalled.
"Well, I doubt they managed to reconstruct the palace of that mad scientist in such a short time" Renji remembered.
"And the palace where I fought the 9th Espada was also destroyed by my brother"
"Then we can guess the remaining palaces are 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0. That damn Ulquiorra must be in the throne room, that's for sure, but I doubt the dukes will let us come any closer without defeating them" Grimmjow said.
"We noticed that Barragan destroyed his palace before leaving" Harribel added. "So there's one building less"
"Anyways, we can assume that the Dukes are ordered in terms of power as well" Uryuu started explaining. "That means that the 8th Duke must be in the palace of the weakest Espada with a remaining structure. In this case, the 7th"
"But we can't be sure about that" Chad pointed out. "What if they are ordered upside down, or have no order at all. Maybe they do have one but decided to use any palace"
"While that may be true, Ulquiorra is a very meticulous individual. He didn't like disorder at all" Harribel remembered.
"So you are proposing that he would leave them on a specific order just to suit his taste?" Hiyori asked retorically. "That's pretty dumb, but it makes sense"
"In any case, how are we gonna fight?" Renji asked.
"I think the best would be dividing in pairs. Pick the person that you feel knows your fighting style the most, but try to be close in terms of power as well" Ichigo decided.
"What do you say, Rukia?" Renji asked her.
"I'm fine, as long as you are careful with my attacks. If you are not concentrated, I could freeze you by mistake" She replied.
"Heh, I'll make sure that doesn't happen then" He gave her a grin.
"Then I and Chad will fight another one of them" Uryuu said in reply to Renji's decision.
"Yeah, no problem" Chad agreed.
"I think we'd rather fight together. You see, we still have a bit of trouble controlling our new power, so I think it's better if we four go" Love decided.
"We'll make sure to finish quickly to fight the remaining Dukes" Hachi added, as two enemies would be left out of the plan due to that decision.
"No problem with that" Ichigo replied.
"I guess we'll tag for this one. After all, we managed to unlock Segunda Etapa and trained its potential together" Grimmjow said. "What do you think, Tier?"
"I agree. We could hurt someone else if we let all our power out. If it's only us, it won't be a problem" Harribel replied, feeling glad that she would fight alongside Grimmjow.
"You have a point. With that in mind, make sure that if you use all your power, take the enemy as far as you can from Las Noches" Ichigo reminded them.
"Understood" The two said in unison.
"That leaves... Nel and you two. I think you three would be perfect" He said looking at the Desert Trio.
"But Ichigo... That would mean you are gonna fight alone!" Nelliel said worried.
"I know. That's the point"
"But-"
"Look, Nel... You are incredibly strong, but I'm gonna go straight to the Throne. I'm sure that whoever's gonna fight me will be the toughest of the bunch if I do that, which should be this guy with the Abaddon weapon. I don't want anything to happen to you... Besides, Pesche and Dondochakka need your help. I'm fine on my own, you don't need to worry"
"Excuse me, Ichigo-sama. But you see, we are no longer the pushovers you met long ago. We don't need Nel-sama to look after us anymore" Pesche replied.
"And more importantly, Nel-sama won't be able to fight to her maximum if she's worried about you. You can't ask her not to worry when you know how much she loves you, Ichigo-sama!" Dondochakka added, trying to convince Ichigo.
"G-guys... There's no need to..." Nel blushed after her Fracción defended her and even used her feelings as an argument. She had talked with her brothers about her relationship with Ichigo, and although none of them really understood what this love was, all they wished was for Nel's happiness.
"Allow us, Nel-sama. No more lamentations. You must do what you wish to do. There's no need for you to betray your feelings too..." Pesche replied.
"Pesche...!" She was astonished by the certainty of his words.
Ichigo perfectly understood what her adoptive brother meant by the last line. He was impressed by the serious tone he aquired to tell her that, but knew that there wasn't a better way to deliver that message.
"Nel... Do you really want to fight by my side? Despite your limitations?" He asked her seriously.
"Y-Yeah... It's not my intention to be a burden, at all. I understand that, I'm nowhere near as powerful as you... But like Dondochakka said, I can't have my mind set on a fight while I'm unable to know how you're doing"
"I just... Don't wanna risk losing you. But if that's what your heart tells you to do, I won't betray your feelings. I would never betray you in any way" He smiled at her, showing how much he trusted and cared for her.
"Ichigo...!" She jumped at him and crossed her legs around his waist. As little tears escaped her eyes she kissed him. "How could I ever leave you on your own after saying such thing?" She giggled at the bitter-sweet resolve of her Ichigo. She knew how much pain it caused him taking her to such a dangerous fight, but for her sake as well, he was willing to withstand that pain.
"C'mon Nel, no need to cry..." He pat her head in the warm embrace. "It's not that bad. I know how powerful you got, so I'm sure you can defend yourself. I only wanted to avoid such peril, but I understand the way you feel" He comforted her. "After all, even if I was powerless, I would still do everything to protect you"
"I know... I know, I know, I know, I know..." She muttered as she dried her tears on his shoulder, taking a sniff of his scent in the process, which made her feel a strange relentless beating inside her. "How is this even possible when I don't have a heart?" She thought confused, but at the same time, in a world of ecstassy.
The two seemed too immersed in their own things to notice that the rest were still in the place waiting for Ichigo to decide.
"Hey wait a second, isn't that girl...?" Renji noticed and remembered:
"What is your relationship with Ichigo" The little Arrancar demanded Rukia an explanation.
"Eh?!" Rukia was speechless.
"Popular with the ladies?" He asked Ichigo.
"Shut up!" The Substitute Shinigami replied embarrassed.
The memory ended and Rukia rolled her eyes at his expression.
"Are you telling me you just realised who she is?" She asked him disappointed.
"Is she... That small Arrancar girl?!"
"*sigh* Yeah..."
"And when did she grow up?! What the hell is going on with the growth spurts of the Arrancar?!"
"Were you not listening when Ichigo got his powers back? Or in the Dangai?"
"Not really"
"That was the form she had before. It seems her broken skull has something to do with her child transformation, but Urahara managed to keep her adult form with that armband"
"I see... Damn. Did you know she was this close to Ichigo?"
"I think they got along well ever since they met, but I guess their friendship escalated quickly. What surprises me the most is that she's an Arrancar. What makes Hollows what they are is their lack of heart, but it seems that information was wrong"
"It is certainly an unprecedented discovery" Uryuu overheard them and agreed as he pressed his glasses a little bit.
"I haven't said anything, cause Ichigo looks happier than ever before" Chad joined the conversation as well.
"Hmph! Who wouldn't be like that with a tall beautiful gifted girl that's in love with you" Rukia pouted with envy.
"Are you jealous of her?" Renji asked her confused.
"Of course not! She's just everything a guy could wish for..."
"You are quite pretty yourself, Rukia" He pointed out.
"W-What?" She didn't expect that reply.
"I mean, you have a nice body and a beautiful face. Sure, you may not have a pair of... You know... But there are guys that drool over girls like you"
"And what do you prefer, Renji?" Hiyori appeared from behind and asked. "Sorry to meddle, but this topic concerns me greatly as well" She menacingly smirked.
"I'm curious about knowing the kind of men that are interested in lolis. This would be a convenient moment to respond positively given the fact that you are in the presence of two legal lolis" Lisa added from behind Hiyori.
"Oh, really?" He realised the mess he had gotten in with his last statement. "It's curious that you ask... But, well... Oh look, Ichigo is ready to move!"
He and Nel were blushing as they looked at the rest of the group, but the Shinigami was able to conclude.
"Well, sorry about that, but it's settled. Pesche and Dondochakka will fight one of the Dukes, while Nel and I will go straight for Ulquiorra. Any complaints?"
Everyone shook their head or remained silent.
"Okay then. Let's go for Las Noches as quick as possible, cause it looks like we have company..." Ichigo said as he pointed at a black cloud of Lesser-demons approaching them in the distance.
~~~~X~~~~
And hence we have the last chapter before the battles everyone's been expecting. It's a difficult process to create dynamic action-packed chapters, so I may take a while longer writing these. Despite that, please have in mind that I'll be doing my best to write those in the best possible way. My priority is always quality.
I want to apologize for the delay, but after finishing my exams came the CFYOW summons, which was something I expected for a long time (since I wanted Nel of course). For that reason I was raiding orbs like insane and unfortunately, I got Hikone, Grimmjow and Toshiro (Tag), but no Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. I hope to get her in the next days if the possibility presents itself... But please pray for me.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: "Awesome work on this chapter! I enjoyed it immensely! Looks like training is over for everyone! Time to use what they've learned and put it all to the test! WHOO!
Anyway, I wanted to apologize for my day-late review. Lol. I would've gotten to this sooner, but real life is a pain. Lol.
Digressing, I look forward to what more you've got planned. Especially seeing as these Oni will NOT be pushovers in the slightest..."
Reply: Very happy to hear you liked the chapter so much.
Don't worry, everyone has to face reality most of the time, though I must admit that I was worried at first, since you always review and I really appreciate it.
Finally, yeah, I designed the Oni to be stronger than anything we've seen so far. If everything goes well, you'll witness how Las Noches falls apart during these epic battles.
See you all next time! Evhron out.
PD: If you are an active player on BBS and want to add me to your friends list or join my guild, PM me for details.